A Newcomer’s Guide to Southern Nights Orlando
If you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community and have been wanting to meet other members of the community but don’t know how or when, you’ll need to pay a visit to Southern Nights Orlando. Southern Nights (“Southern”) is a premier gay club in Orlando. I have met some of my closest friends at Southern Night s, and have had incredibly positive experiences there. Visiting a gay club for the first time doesn’t need to be daunting if you know where you’re headed and when to pay a visit. I hope this gives you the details you need to plan your trip to Southern Nights— Choose your night, choose your crowd— Southern, like most gay bars, has different themes for each night of the week. Southern on a Saturday night is much ''different than Southern on a Friday night. The good news? It isn’t a mystery. If you follow Southern Nights on Instagram, you’ll see daily posts that tell you the specials and themes for each night. This can make your visit much more manageable because you’ll have a clear idea of who the crowd will consist of before you even walk through the door. Without a doubt, the most popular days of the week to visit Southern are Fridays and Saturdays. Every Saturday is Ladies night so you can anticipate about 90-95% of the crowd will be women. Fridays are not designated as a day for men but it is definitely a majority-male crowd on Friday. No matter your preference, your first visit to Southern will be infinitely more manageable if you plan your trip by date. '''Parking—' If you choose to drive, do so responsibly. You’ll want to know that parking at Southern is limited. If you would like to park in Southern’s parking lot, you’ll need to pay for valet service. Alternatively, there is a parking lot just across the street that you can park in for free if you arrive early enough. The free lot is just across S Bumby Ave. If you want to use the lot, you’ll want to arrive no later than 9:30pm. Since parking is limited, I highly recommend you carpool. Typically, I carpool with a group of friends that are all part of the Community. If the cost of an Uber is accessible to you, I would also recommend looking into that as an option since it will eliminate the difficulty of parking altogether. Southern Nights VS. Southern Craft— One of the most common sources of confusion when you first visit Southern Nights is the second, smaller bar adjacent to Southern: Southern Craft. Southern Nights is an 18+ dance club/bar that also contains a patio. On the other hand, Southern Craft is a much smaller, 21+ bar. Once you enter Southern Nights, you’ll be able to access Southern Craft through the back patio by showing your 21+ wristband that you’ll receive when walking through the main entrance. If you have friends that are under the age of 21+, know that they are free to roam Southern Nights but will not be allowed to enter Southern Craft. There are a few noteworthy differences between the two. For example, Southern Craft serves drinks in glass containers that can’t be taken back to Southern Nights. In contrast, Southern Nights does not serve drinks in glassware (instead, you’ll see plastic cups). Moreover, the drink menu is more extensive ''and ''expensive at Southern Craft. The good news? You most certainly get what you pay for—there are a variety of options that are all impressive and will leave you happy with your purchase.